New Bedford Idol moves toward sweet finish

NEW BEDFORD — Organizers of the sixth annual New Bedford Idol say this year's contestants were so talented it was hard to eliminate competitors.

SIMÓN RIOS

NEW BEDFORD — Organizers of the sixth annual New Bedford Idol say this year's contestants were so talented it was hard to eliminate competitors.

But eliminate they did and after two months and four performances, the two finalists have been chosen.

The contest began with 29 contestants, and narrowed over the course of four nights to Seth Sweeney and Micheyla Hardy, who will perform in the final Sunday, May 18, at the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center.

"These young people that come out are just so talented, and I think the judges when you get to this phase have the toughest job," said Bruce Duarte Jr., former city councilor and founder of the competition.

"These are the kids that represent the city in my opinion. We focus so much on the kids that are throwing chairs and trash barrels."

Each night had a theme, including Disney, country, patriotic music, and the second to last event, Diana Ross and Frank Sinatra songs.

Hardy made it to the final round with a version of "Girl from Ipanema," a Brazilian song recorded by Sinatra, while Sweeney sang Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night."

"The contestants were so good that the judges had a very difficult time eliminating kids each week," said Mary Ann daRosa, one of the organizers of New Bedford Idol 2014.

During the first two nights, singers performed 2.5 minutes of each song. For the third and fourth nights, the remaining contestants performed a whole song — a warmup for the finale where they will sing two songs. In addition to the main show, featured on the Zeiterion stage, including the local group Voices in Time, as well as local talent Jillian Jensen who was on the national broadcast TV shows American Idol and The X Factor.

Finally, all 29 contestants who participated in this year's Idol will join for a choreographed version of "Happy," the song made popular by Pharrell Williams.

The People's Choice award will also be given away at the final event, where attendees can place $1 tickets in jars for every one of the contestants. Half the money collected for the award will go to the singer with the most votes — the other half goes to the competition.

Admission to the final night is $10, with tickets available at the Zeiterion box office. The event begins at 6 p.m.